Kids (10 and under) can trick-or-treat and enjoy safe activities at Vesper Hall on Halloween. Be sure to wear your costume! This event is co-sponsored by the Sunset Optimist Club of Blue Springs.

Community Prayer Breakfast

Friday, November 7

6:30 a.m.

Adam's Pointe Conference Center

Tickets are $18 per person, $165 per table of 10

I invite you to join me for the annual community prayer breakfast. Our key note speaker is Carey Casey, Chief Executive Officer of the Kansas City-based National Center for Fathering. I will also honor members of the Missouri Patriot Guard.

This will be an opportunity for you to be the first to get your tickets and plan your seating arrangement! Tickets are specially priced at $45 each for this one night only and will be $50 each after Nov. 20.

Ladies in ParaDice

The Piccadilly Gala is a Ladies Night Out and auction benefit for Downtown Alive!, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and revitalization of Downtown Blue Springs.

This year's theme is Ladies in ParaDice. We invite you to a tropical casino-themed night where ladies get to go out, have fun, win prizes and be waited on by the men in our community. Attire is semi-formal; think glamorous Bahamas flair!

Open swim with adult photo ID. Kids 5 and under must have a parent in the pool. Parents must supervise kids for the duration of the event.

Gage Center

1101 NW Jefferson

November 8, 10:30 a.m. to noon

Join us for a morning at Bump City.

TaJazz School of Dance

1100 NW Knox

November 8, 1:30-2:30 p.m.

Join us for an afternoon of Jazz & Acrobatics for kids ages 6+.

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News Happenings

Around Town

A bi-weekly message from your Blue Springs Mayor and City Council

Greetings!

Hello and welcome to News Happenings Around Town, your one-stop source for City information and news updates, including those items most important to you.

October has been very busy month here in Blue Springs! Our Parks & Recreation Department is particularly busy in the fall. To see more about a few of the projects and programs they are working on, check out the latest edition of Along the Path by clicking here.

Speaking of important dates, Election Day is Tuesday, November 4 - be sure to get out and VOTE!

While you are visiting City Hall, you can also pick up a ticket for the CSL Christmas Concert that benefits the Community Services League. To learn more about the Blue Springs CSL office, click here to visit their Facebook page.

As always, please continue sharing this timely publication and spreading the word about what's good and going on in the City of Blue Springs.

Proposed City Charter Amendments

On Tuesday November 4, Blue Springs residents will be asked to consider five (5) amendments to the Blue Springs Home Rule Charter.

The City of Blue Springs Home Rule Charter, much like the U.S. Constitution, contains the rules which describe how the city functions, organizes itself, and makes the decisions that affect residents' daily lives. The Charter sets parameters for what laws and rules may be adopted by City Council, what kind of services the public receives, and how tax dollars are collected and spent.

In April 1993, Blue Springs overwhelmingly voted to create a Charter Review Commission that is mandated to review and recommend changes to the Home Rule City Charter no less than ever 5 years.

To see the five questions and what would change if approved or not change if denied, click here.

12th Street Parking Lot Ribbon Cutting

On October 27, the City and Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion the 12th Street Parking Lot. This new parking lot added 20+ parking spaces to the downtown corridor.

The 12th Street Parking Lot involved the combined efforts of the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce and the City of Blue Springs. The Chamber gifted the land over to the City earlier this year and the City constructed the 12th Street Parking Lot with a project cost of approximately $204,700 dollars.

Along with the 12th Street Parking Lot, the City constructed two additional downtown public parking lots this summer to expand parking options for visitors and businesses in the downtown corridor.

This dinner raises funds to support the Police Department's ability to make the holidays a special time for 30 deserving families in our community.

During the dinner, I presented Officer Brotherton with a check from the Mayor's privately-funded charitable account to help support the program. I would like to personally thank Rancho Grande for their generous donation of delicious cuisine to this event.

City Not To Pursue Renewal of Missouri Department of Revenue License Bureau Contract

On October 28, we announced that the City will not pursue a renewal of the current Missouri Department of Revenue License Bureau contract. The current contract will expire on February 11, 2015. The City of Blue Springs has operated the Missouri Department of Revenue License Bureau located at City Hall since 1975.

We have been happy to provide this service to our residents and other eastern Jackson County residents for many years, however, the requirements imposed by the Missouri Department of Revenue have become so stringent that it no longer makes financial or operational sense for the City to operate this service on behalf of the State.

We must be good stewards of Blue Springs tax dollars and we don't want to get into a situation that we are subsidizing a State of Missouri service through local municipal revenues. As a municipality, we have unique operating costs that a private business owner does not, allowing them to successfully operate within the scope of the Missouri Department of Revenue contract.

The Department of Revenue has approximately 178 independent contracts for license office management and operation throughout the State of Missouri. Only two bureaus are currently operated by local municipalities, Blue Springs and Grandview; the rest are privately operated.

Although the License Bureau will no longer be located at City Hall, the Missouri Department of Revenue will be evaluating proposals with the goal of selecting a new operator to serve Blue Springs and other areas of eastern Jackson County.

We understand the importance of this service to local residents as well as the convenience of having this service in Blue Springs. Every effort will be made to work with the Missouri Department of Revenue to ensure a smooth transition to a new operator for this State of Missouri service.

I hope you have found this issue of News Happenings Around Town to be both informative and timely for your City information needs. Is there anything we missed? Do you have questions about any of the articles from this issue? Share your thoughts with me and the City Council by calling City Hall at (816) 228-0110. Know that we truly value your time and support for our City and hope you join us for the next issue of News Happenings.

Sincerely,

Carson Ross, Mayor

City of Blue Springs

Our

Mission

The City of Blue Springs is a unique community where families, visitors and businesses share a special quality of life and an abundant spirit of community closeness and cooperation.

Our number one goal is to ensure that our residents, visitors and patrons receive quality customer service and attention with every program and service the City provides. Just as you stand by a community that strives to meet your family's needs, we promise to do our best to meet these needs and anticipate what's best for you and our community, to the best of our ability.